Thinking Renovation? Consider these Important Factors.

With the influx of renovation reality shows, you might be considering swinging a hammer around your own place or purchasing a property with major renovation plans in mind. Unfortunately, the reality of a large-scale renovation project is very different to the ‘TV reality’.

So to set you on the path to renovation riches, rather than a DIY disaster, here are ten things you must know before picking up that hammer.

1. Why are you doing it?

Improving your own home to enhance its livability for your family will generally entail a very different approach than fixing up a rental property as an investment.

In the former instance, it’s about comfort more than cost and compromise.

Of course you don’t want to over-capitalise, but it’s not as critical that you have a significant financial margin between what you spend and what you stand to make.

However if the plan is to grow your rental yield and increase the equity in your property, you must focus on the financial considerations first and foremost.

The process must be based on hard facts and logic rather than emotion.

2. Do you have the necessary knowledge and experience?

Maybe you’ve spruced up your own home and feel confident taking on a project that’s all about the profitability.

But one DIY job does not the expert make. If renovations were so easy to cash in on, why do so many people walk away no better off at the end of a very exhausting and stressful experience?

Firstly, you need to be aware of which jobs you plan on undertaking, if any, require council permits and how to go about the application process with your local government authority.

Then there’s due diligence to measure the project’s viability, risk assessment and mitigation, time and cost management and contingency planning, coordinating tradespeople and various building processes to work through.

If you prefer to get your own hands dirty, I’d recommend engaging a properly qualified professional for the first few small scale developments to give you some much needed ‘on the job’ guidance, before attempting to go it alone.

3. How much time can you spare?

If, like many Australians, you work upwards of 50 hours per week, can you really expect to take on a major renovation project all by yourself?

In order to complete a refurbishment on time and to budget, the reality requires someone to be on site to direct proceedings and make sure things run as smoothly as possible.

If you can’t commit the necessary hours and days, employ a qualified project manager.

Although their fees may add another ten or so to your overall renovation costs, it likely to be a worthwhile investment.

Remember, the longer it takes to complete the renovations on your asset, the longer it will take to start generating that all-important cashflow from your rental property.

Furthermore, failing to schedule the appropriate trades at the right times and working toward a well thought out schedule often means lost opportunity.

In other words, while one project drags on indefinitely, you are potentially missing out on other investments that could see you grow your portfolio sooner.

4. How do you find the right property?

In order to recognise a ‘renovator’s delight’, you need to first determine what type of profit it might deliver.

Ideally, you should aim to achieve $2 in added value for every $1 spent on cosmetic improvements.

Obviously, you don’t want to overcapitalize by paying too much for the dwelling before you even get cracking on the renos, so it’s critical to know the location and get a good handle on comparable values.

Consulting local real estate agents to find out what buyers and tenants expect from property in the area is advisable, in order to determine if the investment you’re considering will deliver a profit.

5. Finding the right people for the job

Quality workmanship at a reasonable price is obviously the first thing that comes to mind when finding a good tradesperson, but availability and reliability are just as important.

Some of the ways you can source good people for your project team include:

Referrals from friends or colleagues

Ask at your local hardware store – they’ll often have ongoing relationships with tradespeople and come to know who’s more reliable

Stop at nearby worksites and ask for business cards

Chances are you’ll end up working closely with the various tradespeople you employ, so make sure you can sustain a good relationship and effective communication with them.

6. How much DIY are you planning?

Deciding to acquire a whole new set of handyman (or handywoman) skills by tackling a renovation project is a noble thought, but what will the results be?

If you want to be hands on, I admire your courage, but I also hope you know a little more than how to fire a nail gun!

Keep in mind that the finished product should be worth at least 20 to 30 per cent more than when you started and appeal to today’s discerning tenant market.

Will your finishes be up to scratch, or are you better off directing skilled tradespeople while you oversee works, rather than attempting to carry them out on your own?

7. Obtaining the necessary finance

This should really be at the top of the list, because obviously if you can’t get the finance you need to firstly purchase and then improve the property you have in mind, everything else is a moot point.

Ideally you’ll be able to use existing equity in a property investment that you’ve held in your portfolio for a little while before deciding to carry out improvements, rather than digging into your own pocket.

Just be aware that if your project becomes a larger scale undertaking and you need to seek additional funding from your lender, you may have to do a bit of debt restructuring to make the figures work.

8. On budget and on time

After your first couple of renovations you’ll have a much better idea as to the people and processes involved and how long it all takes to play out.

Allow a contingency of at least 10 per cent when working out costings and create a realistic budget that accounts for every possible aspect of works required to deliver the desired outcome.

Focus more on aesthetic improvements, rather than costly structural works that will eat away at your bottom line but do little to add end value to your asset.

You’ll also need to factor in any loan repayments you have to meet while the property sits vacant, and maintain a tight but manageable schedule to avoid time and budget blowouts.

Chances are, unexpected delays will occur on your project as they do for many developments, so keep these in mind when planning your contingency as well.

9. What to do with the end product

Some property investors seem to have made a fairly good living from becoming professional project managers and adopting a buy, renovate and sell strategy.

The buy, renovate and hold approach makes a lot more sense, and allows you to use any additional equity manufactured from all that hard work to invest in additional high growth assets and further nurture your nest egg.

Whatever strategy you adopt when considering a renovation project, it must align with and compliment your overall investment objectives.

10. What happens if it doesn’t all go to plan?

All the planning in the world can sometimes fail to account for unforeseen eventualities that throw a spanner in the works.

Perhaps you’ve done all that hard work, only to find that the market or interest rates have moved unfavorably against you.

Of course these potential issues are not so problematic if you’re keeping the finished property investment, which is another reason why I favour a buy, renovate and hold approach – timing the market is not so essential and as such, there’s greater margin for error.

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